The Bernese
Mountain Dog has a thick coat of moderate
length with a slight amount of waviness. The
coat should have an easily visible sheen. A
show coat would not be trimmed except in the
least amount and only as needed.

Owners not skilled in brushing and
combing both the under coat and outer coat
should seek training from their breeder or
groomer. Many unskilled owners tend to brush
and comb only the outer coat, leaving the
under coat subject to potential matting
problems.

The
outer coat of the Bernese Mountain Dog tends
not to matt easily, but that does not mean it
will not. The significant under coat requires
maintenance grooming removing unwanted hair
shed. The breed significantly sheds especially
when indoors. Like
many other long coated breeds some hair shed can
and often does remain in the under coat until
it is removed by proper brushing and combing.
Hair shed not removed will, with time or
immediately upon getting damp or wet, begin to
"tangle" and "matt"
whereby the hair shed both wraps and
compresses around the existing hair coat.
Matts and excessive undercoat ruin the beauty of
this breed, and severe matting causes any pet
discomfort and even poor skin health.

MORE GROOMING TIPS FOR PROFESSIONALS

Using modern high
velocity dryers to blow off excess water after
the bath saves a tremendous amount of drying
time. Some groomers prefer to use a pin brush
instead of slicker brush for the hand fluff
dry process. You can expect even more loose
hair to remove after the bath, and finish with
a final comb out.

These
books
contain
little
or
no
breed
specific
grooming
information.
They
do
provide
very
good
to
excellent
general
breed
information.
Of
course,
having
pictures
of
the
breed
is
a
great
help
when
grooming
the
breed
compared
to
having
nothing
else.